Dola Chakrapath road constructed for smuggling timber from Dadeldhura to Dhangadhi?

Dadeldhura: The Parliamentary Committee under the Finance, Development and Natural Resources Committee of the Far Western Provincial Assembly has ruled that the Dola Chakrapath road constructed in Alital Rural Municipality-8 of Dadeldhura was constructed with the intention of cutting down trees and smuggling it.

The Finance, Development and Natural Resources Committee of the Far Western Provincial Assembly had conducted an on-site study on Sunday on the issue of illegal cutting down of Sal trees during the construction of Dola Chakrapath road. According to the parliamentary committee, it was not necessary to build a ring road in the forest revealed the on-site study.

A five-member parliamentary committee headed by state assembly member Dirgharaj Sodari told a press conference at the Dadeldhura headquarters on Monday that the Dola Chakrapath road was constructed without any environmental impact assessment with the intention of smuggling timber and cutting down trees.

"The team of investigators from the Division Forest Office at Dadeldhura, found that Sal trees had been smuggled to Dhangadhi during the road construction." He said that an investigation report would be prepared on the basis of the on-site study and the guilty construction company would be brought under the ambit of action. Along with Sodari and Joshi, MPs Purna Joshi, Akkal Bahadur Rawal and Premprakash Joshi are in the parliamentary committee.

The trees in the community and national forests have been cut down illegally during the construction of the road connecting Godala Bazaar to Dola village under Alital Rural Municipality. According to Dabal Bahadur Bohara, Divisional Forest Officer at the Forest Division Office, Dadeldhura, the trees were cut down without the permission of the Forest Office.

According to the Division Forest Office, Dadeldhura, 110 rounds of timber were recovered during the construction of the road and the remaining timber was being searched for. The Alital Rural Municipality has stated that it worked with Ugratara Construction through a contract for the construction of the road.

Chief of the Division Forest Office, Dadeldhura, Bishnu Prasad Acharya said that most of the road projects being constructed at various places in the district from the federal, state and local levels are being constructed without environmental impact assessment.

Stating that trees were cut down during most of the road construction, he said that such a problem was seen all over the country. Stating that there is a legal complication as the state government has not been able to bring the Forest Act, he said that a case will be filed against the contractor company for cutting down trees during road construction.